Suspect Arrested In String Of OC Bank, Commercial Robberies

SANTA ANA (CBSLA.com) — A serial robbery suspect allegedly linked to a string of bank and commercial robberies in Orange County was in police custody Tuesday.

KNX 1070's Mike Landa reports 24-year-old Dennis Adamson told investigators he committed crime to support his addiction to heroin and methamphetamine.

Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said since March, Adamson has traveled up and down California robbing convenience stores, gas stations, a sandwich shop and several banks.

"We know that he's done a total of 9 bank robberies and 6 commercial robberies since March of this year, and those are ones we know about," Bertagna said.

At around 11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 6, patrol officers made contact with Adamson while he was on a bike and wearing a backpack in the 100 block of East Dyer Road.

Adamson advised one of the officers that he had a handgun in his backpack, police said. After conducting a search, the officer found a semi-automatic handgun and two black ski masks in the backpack.

Using a booking photo taken after Adamson had been arrested in Irvine on Oct. 1 on narcotics violations, officers put together a photo lineup to show to one of the Santa Ana robbery victims.

Adamson was positively identified and arrested on suspicion of a Sept. 22 robbery of a Mobil Gas Station located at 100 West Mac Arthur and two other commercial robberies committed in Santa Ana on the same day.

He was also named a suspect in a bank robbery in Fountain Valley in August and two commercial robberies in Costa Mesa on Sept. 29 and Oct. 3.

In addition, Adamson is also linked to eight additional robberies in Central California committed between March and September.

Detectives believe Adamson may have been using the ski masks located in is possession to commit additional robberies.